


(i'm helpless) down for the count

by lizleminem



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Alive Noah, Alternate Universe - College/University, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-01
Updated: 2016-04-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 14:44:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,768
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6428428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lizleminem/pseuds/lizleminem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“I’m supposed to recreate this photoshoot,” Gansey says. He takes out his phone, pulling up the email from his professor that had the assignment attached, and then passes it over to Blue so she can flip through the pictures. Noah hooks his chin over her shoulder, so he can see too, and Gansey feels a spark of jealousy. It’s stupid. They’ve been a couple since before Gansey knew either one of them. He should have known better than to get a crush on either of them, let alone to get one on both of them.</p>
            </blockquote>





	(i'm helpless) down for the count

**Author's Note:**

  * For [redweathertiger](https://archiveofourown.org/users/redweathertiger/gifts).



> i stole the title from the lyrics of Helpless from Hamilton

“Help me, please,” Gansey says as he walks into his dorm room, already knowing his roommate, Noah, and Noah’s girlfriend, Blue, are both going to be in there. 

“Sure, what’s up?” Noah asks, sitting up from where he’d been cuddling with Blue on his bed. 

Blue pops up as well, saying, “Do you need my help too?”

Gansey nods. “Desperately. I have to do a photoshoot for my photography class, and I need a couple to be the models. Are you two willing?”

“Hmm,” Noah says. “We can probably do it. How long will it take?” 

“It shouldn’t take more than a few hours,” Gansey says. “It’s fine if you guys can’t, though. I already tried asking my friends Adam and Ronan and they refused, but I might be able to convince my sister and her girlfriend. But if you guys can do it I’ll pay you back with all you can eat gelato.” 

“That's a dangerous offer. I can eat a lot of gelato,” Noah says. 

Gansey just grins at him. “Is that a yes?” 

“I guess,” Noah says. 

“Blue?” Gansey asks. 

“I guess if Noah’s in then I’m in,” Blue says. 

“Thank you,” Gansey says. “Honestly, so much.” 

“Okay, so what exactly are we doing?” Blue asks. 

“I’m supposed to recreate this photoshoot,” Gansey says. He takes out his phone, pulling up the email from his professor that had the assignment attached, and then passes it over to Blue so she can flip through the pictures. Noah hooks his chin over her shoulder, so he can see too, and Gansey feels a spark of jealousy. It’s stupid. They’ve been a couple since before Gansey knew either one of them. He should have known better than to get a crush on either of them, let alone to get one on both of them. 

“This is honestly the cheesiest thing I’ve ever seen in my life,” Blue says. “Be honest. This is the reason your other friends refused isn’t it?” 

“It’s a definite possibility,” Gansey says. 

“Well, we already agreed so I guess we’ll still do it, but you owe us so much gelato. So much,” Noah says, as Blue passes Gansey his phone back. 

***

They're at a playground, and they’ve already taken ten out of fifteen pictures when Gansey decides to stop delaying the one he’s been dreading. It’s the reason he needed a couple, because it involves kissing, and while he’s thankful to Blue and Noah for doing this, he’s not looking forward to watching them kiss. 

He’s seen it before. Short pecks when they’re greeting each other, and longer lingering kisses if they haven’t seen each other in a while, but it pulls at him every time. A desperate hungry desire to be a part of it, even though he knows he doesn’t fit. They’re a couple and there’s no space leftover for him. But, God, does he want there to be. 

“Okay,” Gansey says. “One of you needs to hang upside down from the monkey bars, and then the other one needs to kiss them.” 

“Like Spider-Man?” Noah asks. 

“Yes,” Gansey says.

“Cool, I’m hanging upside down then. You can be Mary-Jane, Blue.” 

Blue grumbles out something about sexism and Noah grins at her, looking soppy and completely in love, and says, “I just wanted to be him because Spider-Man is cool, but you can take that position if you want.” 

Blue grins back and says, “It’s fine. You be Spider-Man. I was mostly joking.” 

Noah grins again, and grabs onto the bars, lifting himself up and bending at the waist so he can shove his legs through. He bends his knees, hooking them over the bars and then lets himself dangle down. 

His shirt slips down, revealing most of his stomach, and Gansey’s mouth goes a little dry. 

“Blue, as short as you are, you’re still a little tall, so I guess sit down so you can kiss him more easily.” 

Blue nods and positions herself on the ground, her face close to Noah’s and then she leans in, tangling her fingers into Noah’s hair to tug him forward slightly, and kissing him gently. Gansey’s stomach drops, and then churns with jealousy. 

He checks the focus and the framing and snaps a few pictures, and then says, “Okay, we’ve got that one,” wanting to move on as quickly as possible. 

***

“You have chocolate around your mouth, Blue,” Noah says later, when they’re done with the photoshoot and sitting around a small table at the gelato place. “Here,” he adds and then he leans forward and kisses her sloppily, using his tongue to clean off the slight smear of chocolate that had been on her bottom lip. 

She laughs and Gansey looks away from them, distractedly digging around in the mostly melted remains of his second bowl of gelato. 

He can feel them both looking at him, and he feels bad for killing the playful mood they’d had going on, but then Blue says, “Aw, I think he's jealous.” 

She’s sounds light and teasing, like it’s meant to be a joke, but for a moment Gansey panics. Afraid that they’ve figured it out and won’t want to be around him anymore and that Noah will want to switch rooms, and then he’ll probably end up with some ungodly bad new roommate. But then he feels a cold press against his cheek, right next to his lip, as Noah smears some of his melting gelato off his spoon and onto Gansey’s skin. Then Noah's hooking his foot around a leg of Gansey's chair and using it to move him closer. And then Noah leans in, pausing for a moment as if to give Gansey a chance to tell him no or back away, and Gansey wonders if he’s really about to be kissed. 

But it turns out he’s not. They come close though. Noah’s warm breath fans out over Gansey’s cheek, and then his tongue presses against Gansey’s skin. Right next to his mouth, and Gansey can feel his cheeks coloring with a blush. 

When Noah pulls away, Gansey looks toward Blue, worried she’s going to look pissed off. But she’s just blushing faintly, a small smile on her lips. Gansey’s heart soars. Maybe there could be room for him after all. Maybe. 

***

“We need a selfie of this moment,” Blue says that night when the three of them are back in Noah and Gansey’s room. They’re all piled on Noah’s bed, legs and arms brushing, and in Blue and Noah’s case, tangled together. 

She pulls her phone out of her pocket, and passes it over to Noah since he’s in the middle and he opens her camera app. He holds the phone up and takes a picture. Then he leans over and presses a kiss to Blue’s cheek and takes another one, and then before Gansey even has time to feel jealous Noah turns his head and presses a kiss to Gansey’s cheek and takes another picture. 

Gansey catches Blue’s eye and then they both lean in, pressing a kiss to each of Noah’s cheeks as Noah takes another picture. 

Then Noah drops the phone onto the bed and moves so that he’s straddling Blue. He kisses her deeply and Gansey’s stomach drops. This obviously isn’t the first time he’s seen them be affectionate, but it’s the first time he’s seen them be this intense about it. He moves, no longer feeling welcome, and getting ready to leave so they can have the room to themselves. But then Blue’s fingers grab his arm. 

“Stay,” she says. 

“If you want,” Noah adds. 

Blue drags her fingers lightly down Gansey’s arm and then laces her fingers through his, tugging him closer. "We like you,” she says. 

“And we're pretty sure you like us too,” Noah says. “But if we’re wrong then we’ll stop and we can all watch a movie or something and forget this ever happened.” 

Gansey’s head is spinning, but as soon as he processes everything they just said he says, “What do you mean by you like me? I mean, do you want us all to date, or are you proposing a one time threesome.” 

“We mean date. If you want,” Blue says, her fingers warm where they’re still laced through his. 

“Okay,” he says. “Yes, I want.” 

Blue and Noah both smile at him at that, and Blue tugs on his hand again. “Then kiss me,” she says. 

He lets himself be dragged closer, and then he presses in, kissing her lightly. Blue tangles her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck and pulls him even closer. Gansey can feel the weight of Noah’s gaze on him, and as much as he’s enjoying kissing Blue he’s overwhelmed with the desire to finally find out what kissing Noah is like too. 

So he moves, laying on his back beside Blue, and reaching out for Noah’s hand. “Come here,” he says, tugging on it once Noah laces their fingers together. Noah obeys easily, climbing off of Blue and straddling Gansey instead. Noah ducks his head, and Gansey raises up, meeting him halfway. Noah’s lips are chapped, and he kisses roughly, but it’s nice. Especially when he tugs Gansey’s bottom lip between his teeth. 

And then Noah moves away to catch his breath, and Blue dives in instead. And that’s nice too. She kisses softer, a nice change from the hard eagerness of Noah, and a chance for Gansey to catch his breath a little too. 

And then Blue pulls away from him and sits up, kissing Noah instead where he’s on his knees above Gansey’s waist. It’s different watching them now that he’s a part of this. The hollow ache is gone, replaced by a fire deep in his belly. 

When they pull apart, Gansey grabs one of each of their hands and tugs. “Come lay down with me,” he says, and they move easily until they’re laying on either side of him. It’s a tight squeeze on the tiny twin dorm bed, so they both curl up next to him, Noah slipping an arm under his back and Blue throwing one over his waist. 

Blue leans her head on his chest, and Noah nuzzles his nose against Gansey’s neck, and Gansey can’t help the grin that spreads over his face. 

“I hope you guys know this means I’m spending every night in here from now on,” Blue says. “Otherwise I’d be jealous knowing you guys were in here cuddling without me while I’m stuck with my gross annoying roommate.” 

“That’s fine by me,” Gansey says. 

“Yeah. Me too,” Noah agrees.

**Author's Note:**

> you can find me on tumblr [here](http://malieatate.tumblr.com).


End file.
